Laboratory Safety: Hazard Controls and PPE
What you will learn • The system of hazard controls • Basics of Personal Protective Equipment
What is the Hierarchy of Risk Controls?
Elimination or Substitution • Don’t do the process or use the chemical • Use a safer alternative.
Engineering controls Shield or separate the user from the hazard
Engineering Controls Examples • Local exhaust ventilation. • Fume Hoods • Snorkels
• Shields and Guarding • Non-sparking Electrical Equipment • Interlocks that prevent devices from operating unless guards and safety devices are engaged
Proper Hood Usage Proper Sash Height • As low as possible, while still allowing you to do your work. Overloading • Minimize materials in the hood that inhibit proper air flow Where should chemicals be used? • At least 6 inches into the hood. Turbulence issues • Be mindful of other turbulence problems, such as room air disturbances
Administrative Controls Administrative Controls are behavior based means of preventing exposure to a hazard. The critical challenge is that the individual must make the conscious choice to follow them. Examples include: • Lab Rules • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) • Chemical Hygiene Plan • Technique Training • Signage • Temporary • Permanent
• Leadership and example
What is Personal Protective Equipment Specialized clothing or equipment worn by employees for protection against health and safety hazards. PPE is your last line of defense! Always consider Elimination/Substitution, Engineering and Administrative Controls First!
Personal Protective Equipment Protection for: • Eyes • Hands • Hearing • Respiratory • Head • Foot • Whole body protection
Proper Clothing While Proper clothing may not explicitly be PPE, it is an essential element of proper laboratory practices. • Long pants • Long sleeves • Closed-toe, non-absorbent shoes • Protect your clothing with a lab coat or apron • What are you taking home on your shoes?
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF PPE?
How do we get to PPE Selection
Hazard Assessment
Std. Operating Procedures
PPE Training Record
• For the lab space
(SOPs)
• For the individual doing the process
• For the process in a lab space
1910.133
EYE AND FACE PROTECTION
What are some of the causes of eye injuries? • Dust and other flying particles, such as metal shavings or sawdust • Molten metal that might splash • Acids and other caustic liquid chemicals that might splash • Blood and other potentially infectious body fluids that might splash, spray, or splatter • Intense light such as that created by welding and lasers
Safety Spectacles • Made with metal/plastic safety frames • Most operations require side shields • Used for moderate impact from particles produced by such jobs as carpentry, woodworking, grinding, and scaling
Goggles • Protect eyes, eye sockets, and the facial area immediately surrounding the eyes from impact, dust, and splashes • Some goggles fit over corrective lenses
Impact
vs. Splash-Proof
Remember proper storage and Maintenance of PPE
Welding Shields Protect eyes from burns caused by infrared or intense radiant light, and protect face and eyes from flying sparks, metal spatter, and slag chips produced during welding, brazing, soldering, and cutting.
Eye and face protection • Each affected employee must wear appropriately shaded filter lenses for protection from injurious light radiation
Laser Safety Goggles Protect eyes from intense concentrations of light produced by lasers. Consult Radiation Safety for more information on PPE Selection.
Face Shields • Protect the face from nuisance dusts and potential splashes or sprays of hazardous liquids • Face shields do not replace eye protection. Eye protection must be worn in addition to face protection where face protection is required.
Prescription Lenses • Employees with prescription lenses: • Incorporate prescription in eye protection or • Wear eye protection over prescription lenses • Without disturbing proper position of prescription lenses or the protective lenses
1910.133 Eye and face protection
Protective eye and face devices shall comply with ANSI Z87.1-1989
Z 87.1-1989
1910.138
HAND PROTECTION
What are some of the hand injuries you need to guard against? • • • • • • • •
Burns Bruises Abrasions Cuts Punctures Fractures Amputations Chemical Exposures
Hand Protection Choose the right gloves for the job • Disposable vs. Reusable • Latex vs. other glove materials • For non-chemical work
Glove Selection and Use • Not all gloves are the same • Follow manufacturer’s recommendations • There is no one perfect glove for all chemicals • Gloves to protect you vs. gloves to protect your work • Remove gloves before leaving lab • Never reuse disposable gloves
• Be aware of what you touch with your gloves. • Keep gloved hands away from • Other parts of your body • Common touch surfaces (door knobs, keyboards) • personal items (phones, pens).
• Remember: Contamination is not always visible
Use Manufacturer’s Glove Selection Guide Manufacturers Publish guides for chemical resistance to glove types.
1910.134
RESPIRATORY PROTECTION
Respiratory Protection There are many important steps that must be done in order to safely use a respirator. This may include hazard assessment, medical evaluation, fit testing, and training. If you feel you may need to wear a respirator contact EHS at 4-5084 and we will guide you through the process.
1910.135
HEAD PROTECTION
1910.135(a) General requirements a. Ensure that each affected employee wears a protective helmet where there is a potential for head injury from falling objects
Classes and Types of Hard Hats • Type I hard hats - reduce force of impact from a blow to the top of the head • Type II hard hats - provide protection against both side impact (lateral) and blows to the top of the head
Classes and Types of Hard Hats • Class G (old A) – General • Tested to withstand 2200 volts
• Class E (old B) – Electrical • Tested to withstand 20,000 volts
• Class C (old C) – Conductive • No electrical protection
1910.135(b) Criteria for protective helmets • Protective helmets shall comply with ANSI Z89.1-1986
1910.135(b) Criteria for protective helmets
1910.136
FOOT PROTECTION
Protective Footwear General requirements • Each affected employee must use protective footwear where there is danger of: • Falling or rolling objects • Objects piercing sole • Feet exposed to electrical hazards
• Protective footwear shall comply with ANSI Z41-1991 1910.135(b) Criteria for protective helmets
What are some of the causes of foot injuries? • Heavy objects such as barrels or tools that might roll onto or fall on employees’ feet • Sharp objects such as nails or spikes that might pierce the soles or uppers of ordinary shoes • Molten metal that might splash on feet • Hot or wet surfaces • Slippery surfaces
Safety Shoes • Have impact-resistant toes and heat-resistant soles that protect against hot surfaces common in roofing, paving, and hot metal industries • Some have metal insoles to protect against puncture wounds • May be designed to be electrically conductive for use in explosive atmospheres, or nonconductive to protect from workplace electrical hazards
Metatarsal Guards • A part of the shoes or strapped to the outside of shoes to protect the instep from impact and compression.
ANSI Rated Foot protection will be marked to indicate the type and level of protection
ANSI Z41 = ANSI footwear protection standard PT = Protective Toe sect ion of the standard 91 = year of the standard(in this example 1991) M = Male footwear(F = Female footwear) I = Impact rating(75 foot pounds in this example—can also be 30 or 50) Mt = Metatarsal (top of the foot)protection rating (75 foot pounds in this example—can also be 30 or 50)
C = Compression rating This code is more complex than the others. Here is how to read it: 30 = 1,000 pounds;50 = 1,750; 75 = 2,500 (in this example
)
EH = protection from Electrical Hazards
1910.95
HEARING PROTECTION
Examples of Hearing Protectors Earmuffs
Earplugs
Canal Caps
Hearing Protection • 85 decibels sustained over 8 hr. work day • EHS can monitor noise levels and determine if a hearing protection program is required
